Neeraj Chopra becomes world no. 1 in men’s Javelin throw

Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra is now World number 1, according to the latest men’s Javelin Throw ranking issued by the world athletics.

The winner has topped the charts with 1455 points, 22 points more than Anderson Peters of Grenada. Neeraj reportedly achieved the world number two rank on August 30, 2022, but ever since has been behind Peters, the current world champion. Whereas, Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic was third with 1416 points.

Neeraj became the first Indian athlete to win the Diamond League 2022 finals in Zurich in September of last year. However, after winning in Zurich, he was forced to miss time due to an injury.

Neeraj, who holds the men’s javelin throw national record for India, competed in the season-opening Doha Diamond League on May 5 and took first place with a throw of 88.67 metres. Anderson Peters placed third in Doha with a distance of 85.88 metres.

The world number 1 ranking comes as a booster for Neeraj Chopra ahead of the FBK Games which are scheduled to happen in June in the Netherlands. He confirmed his participation at Paavo Nurmi Games 2023 in Turku, Finland in June. 

The 2023 season is expected to be a pivotal one for Neeraj because of the impending Paris 2024 Olympics. He will defend his Diamond League crown and Asian Games javelin gold medal in Hangzhou in addition to competing at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest.